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Possible to play Smash undocked with GC adapter while charging?

Smash Cadet

Hey everybody. I noticed that the Switch only have 1 USB-C port. If my friend and I plan on playing Smash on the go for long hours with the GC adapter. Is there like a dongle that allows you to use the GC adapter and charge the Switch at the same time?

The idea is to connect this splitter to the Switch via that dongle that lets you use the Gamecube Controller in handheld mode and then plug the Gamecube Controller adapter into one of the splitters USB ports and then another cable that is USB on both ends into another of the splitters ports. From there, plug the other end of the double USB cable into a portable battery (which you can also find cheap) or whatever it is you're using to charger your switch (as long as it's via USB of course).

BE WARNED THOUGH! There have been reports of 3rd party/unorthodox charging methods such as this bricking Switches. I'm not sure the exact details or even if these reports are outdated or not, but it is something to be aware of.

Personally I would recommend not using this method and just playing Smash and charging the Switch at separate times. But if you want to try both at once, this is a method that MIGHT work, but I have not tried it myself and will not make any guarantee's.

The idea is to connect this splitter to the Switch via that dongle that lets you use the Gamecube Controller in handheld mode and then plug the Gamecube Controller adapter into one of the splitters USB ports and then another cable that is USB on both ends into another of the splitters ports. From there, plug the other end of the double USB cable into a portable battery (which you can also find cheap) or whatever it is you're using to charger your switch (as long as it's via USB of course).

BE WARNED THOUGH! There have been reports of 3rd party/unorthodox charging methods such as this bricking Switches. I'm not sure the exact details or even if these reports are outdated or not, but it is something to be aware of.

Personally I would recommend not using this method and just playing Smash and charging the Switch at separate times. But if you want to try both at once, this is a method that MIGHT work, but I have not tried it myself and will not make any guarantee's.

So I did some further research and found this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao4n6_nL9fU This is exactly what I was looking for. It seems to work flawlessly for the guy. The Switch dock is basically a giant USB-C hub no? I wonder if there's any input lag if I were to use the USB adapter. The guy in the video did say it's safe from bricking because it's using the Switch's power supply.

Smash Ace

So I did some further research and found this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao4n6_nL9fU This is exactly what I was looking for. It seems to work flawlessly for the guy. The Switch dock is basically a giant USB-C hub no? I wonder if there's any input lag if I were to use the USB adapter. I am worried that it might brick my Switch and render it useless though.

I'm not sure which one you're worried about messing up your Switch between the official dock or this adapter but either way you should be good to go as long as you're using the official Switch cables provided by Nintendo.

Smash Cadet

I'm not sure which one you're worried about messing up your Switch between the official dock or this adapter but either way you should be good to go as long as you're using the official Switch cables provided by Nintendo.

Yeah, I was referring to the adapter possibly bricking the Switch. I also found this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071YVC3NJ/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza This might be a safer option since it's using the same hardware as the official dock. 100% safe from bricking. Only concern is voiding the warranty and possibly breaking the circuit board if you're not careful.

Does the Switch's screen stay on when docked while charging without the HDMI plugged in? I don't own a Switch so I can't test this out.

Smash Cadet

Just buy the Hori USB Portable Stand. It has four USB Ports and works with the GameCube Controller Adapter outside of the regular Switch Dock.

You will likely, however, need to power it with a regular Switch AC Adapter. I've tried using a portable charger with it and the Switch still drains. The portable charger I tried was USB A to USB C though so using a USB C to USB C charger might give better results. The charger I used does keep and raise the Switch to 100% power when not using the Hori USB Portable Stand.

Just to be clear, powering the Hori stand with the official Switch AC Adapter will charge your system while playing from my experience.

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Smash Cadet

Just buy the Hori USB Portable Stand. It has four USB Ports and works with the GameCube Controller Adapter outside of the regular Switch Dock.

You will likely, however, need to power it with a regular Switch AC Adapter. I've tried using a portable charger with it and the Switch still drains. The portable charger I tried was USB A to USB C though so using a USB C to USB C charger might give better results. The charger I used does keep and raise the Switch to 100% power when not using the Hori USB Portable Stand.

Just to be clear, powering the Hori stand with the official Switch AC Adapter will charge your system while playing from my experience.